1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing tackle and equipment, and particularly to a lever-operated fishing reel enabling an angler to reel in the fishing line by means of a reciprocating lever extending from the reel mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional fishing reel uses a rotating crank handle extending from one side or end of the reel, to reel in the fishing line. Many such reels provide a gear train between the crank handle and the reel spool in order to produce multiple revolutions of the spool for each rotation of the crank, thus speeding up the rewind process. However, the basic problem remains that the angler must rotate the crank handle through multiple revolutions in order to rewind any significant length of fishing line. While this process is tedious for most anglers, it can still be carried out, even though it is a time-consuming operation that requires two hands, one to hold the rod and the other to operate the reel crank.
In some cases the rewind operation cannot be readily accomplished by anglers with certain physical handicaps, e.g., arthritis or perhaps a missing limb or digit and/or other physical infirmities. As a result, a number of fishing reels have been developed in the past with rewind mechanisms operated by a reciprocating lever. While such lever-operated fishing reels eliminate the need to rotate a crank to rewind the fishing line and thus allow single handed operation, they introduce other problems that limit their utility. Many, if not most, such reels have relatively weak mechanisms that can be damaged by relatively light tension on the fishing line. In addition, most such reels have limited versatility and cannot be readily modified for use as a casting or fly reel or to change the orientation or “handedness” of the reel.
Thus, a lever-operated fishing reel solving the aforementioned problems is desired.